


loonaverse(s)

by kangseulgis



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, Different Universes, Implied Relationship, Mermaids, Seven Deadly Sins, Violence, War, but it’s okay cus it’s my fic, i don’t actually know a lot about the sins, powers, slightly gay, this has nothing to do with actual loona theories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-04-22 09:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14306055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kangseulgis/pseuds/kangseulgis
Summary: vivi made a council. she intends to have haseul complete her mission for her.





	1. the council

Haseul stood at the end of the table in her best outfit despite the others wearing their everyday clothes, and honestly, she felt rather awkward.

 

However, nobody was giving her green, silk blouse, her black trousers, her leather sandals that were hidden underneath the table, or her metallic purse, green too, a second look or thought.

 

“So,” she breathed, clearing her throat. “We—”

 

A girl, a white haired girl, sighed and spoke over Haseul. “Can you please skip the speech? We’ve met three times this month, we met for the first time three years ago, and you still start with that speech.”

 

That girl, of course, was Jinsoul. She was wearing a blue crop-top and high-waisted denim shorts that were a bit ripped at the hem. Her blue vans were placed at the door atop the welcome mat, a flower crown adorned with lifelike roses sitting on her head, a seashell necklace placed around her neck. She always seemed to be deep in thought, but in reality, she was pondering about the salty sea that she was presumably born near.

 

“Let her speak,” commanded Vivi, giving Jinsoul a look that could pierce the strongest of elements.

 

Vivi was a special case. She was the most significant member of the council, being the Goddess, and her real name was not actually Vivi, but she found it disrespectful to be called by her genuine name. Her clothes were, as described by Wrath, ‘grandma-like and old.’ Her ‘grandma-like’ clothing consisted of a light pink, off-the-shoulder cardigan, a simple mini skirt, and velvety ankle boots that she would not hesitate to smash into one’s mouth if disrespected past the point of being dubbed as ‘grandma-like and old.’ A flowery crown, similar to Jinsoul’s but with much more power, was beside her hand on the table instead of resting safely on her head.

 

Jinsoul gaped. “We hear this speech—”

 

Vivi glared at the mermaid, nodding to Haseul as a sign to continue.

 

“We’re gathered here today to discuss an important topic,” Haseul continued, opening her tiny purse and emptying its contents onto the table. A few coins rolled until they came to a stop at Vivi’s hands, but what was important was the ripped and stained notebook that flew out. “I’ll skip the main part of the speech,” she stated, much to Vivi’s annoyance, “and explain this notebook.”

 

“I’ve seen that notebook before,” claimed the blonde on the left side of Jinsoul. “It’s a messenger. I think it’s magical to a point. It can send and receive messages from different universes.”

 

Jungeun — the special Solver born to a family of Solvers‘ but not being magical like her family. She was a self-taught Solver, and she was better than some who actually had the power; she just lacked the golden powder that shot from a Solver’s hand that allowed them to view certain codes and such. Aside from the fact that she was not very supernatural, her clothes were not similar to a Solver’s either. She wore an off-the-shoulder red shirt that was shorter than a crop-top along with high-waisted red shorts that hugged her body. Her shoes were simple heels, a purse was slung over her shoulders, and a vintage book was at her feet. The glasses she wore was the only article of clothing that was similar to an actual Solver’s, for Solvers‘ normally wore formal clothing to any event. She was an exception, not a rule.

 

“What?” Haseul squeaked, staring at Jungeun. “When did you see it?”

 

Jungeun slouched in her seat. “It was awhile ago; maybe two months? I remember reading the messages inside of the notebook, but they disappeared quickly. That’s where my knowledge runs out. Heejin?”

 

The so-called Heejin leaned forward and held out her top hat, signaling for Haseul to place the book inside it. When she did not, Vivi urged, “Put the book in there. I think Knowledge knows what to do.”

 

Heejin, according to Wrath, was ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ A top hat always sat on her head, but mind you, the hat was magical; every Human of Knowledge owned one. She wore a dark pink blouse that had a bow in the middle alongside black jeans and platform boots. On her back was a backpack that stored multiple objects that she refused to reveal to anyone unless forced.

 

Haseul dropped the notebook into Heejin’s hat, and they all watched as she fumbled with the hat for a minute and finally yanked it back out, placing it on the table.

 

“Yep,” Heejin announced. “Definitely magical. Every universe has one hidden away, but when it’s written in, the message transfers to the other notebooks in the universes. It is a messenger, yeah. The message disappears almost immediately after it is read, though.”

 

“That explains why the message disappeared,” Haseul huffed.

 

Vivi’s eyes shifted toward Haseul. “There was a message when you found it?”

 

Haseul nodded. “I don’t know how long ago it was written when I found it, but it read, ‘Help.’”

 

Jungeun licked her lips. “I found the same message, but it was ‘Help us.’” She furrowed her eyebrows. “Okay, but people in other universes haven’t communicated with each other in forever,—”

 

“Four years,” corrected Vivi.

 

“—why would they need our help now?” finished Jungeun, ignoring Vivi’s comment. “We haven’t crossed over into the other universes except this one since the war against Jinsoul’s universe and the sins’ universe started. Wouldn’t it be dangerous to now?”

 

“I think that the war is almost over,” Jinsoul stated.

 

Vivi sighed and traced her fingers over the patterns that the table had painted on its surface. “That may be so, but it would still be dangerous to attempt to cross again. It was dangerous even when we were doing it regularly. We’re all inexperienced again.”

 

“I think we’re being a bit unreasonable,” Heejin sighed, waggling a finger at her hat that was now on the table in front of her. “Obviously, I see your concern, Goddess, but someone needs our help. If one of us were the one in need, wouldn’t you think differently?”

 

Vivi pursed her lips. “Would it be dangerous to cross, Knowledge?”

 

Heejin snorted and tapped the top of her hat. “Oh, certainly. We wouldn’t _die_ , though. We may lose an arm, but I’m sure the Goddess could fix that.”

 

Vivi parted her lips to speak, but Jungeun’s words flowed before hers. “Maybe we should cross over to a small universe as a test before we do anything else. Small universes aren’t as dangerous, and if we cross over perfectly, then we can try whatever plan we make up.”

 

“No,” Vivi disagreed and shook her head solemnly. “I actually have a proposal for the human, and I want to put it into action as soon as possible.”

 

Haseul blinked and intently stared at Vivi, waiting to be told about the proposal.

 

“This is assuming that we cross over safely,” Vivi began, glancing around the table, “but it is a big universe, so you will need help.”

 

Haseul, unlike the others who were gathered around the table, was utterly human; she had the power to cross universes given to her by Vivi, who needed a human in the council that she had planned. Haseul had listened to Vivi immediately, for her life had been boring as it was, and she had felt like she would have a purpose if she accepted the offer from the Goddess. She had.

 

Vivi had recruited one person from each of the main universes, and each one of her picks (still) seemed to have a fatal flaw; Haseul was a human, which was not exactly a flaw, but she was incapable of doing certain things; Jinsoul was a mermaid, but she could not swim, and if she tried, it was not well; Jungeun did not have the golden powder that would allow her to see more than what meets the eye… Heejin, another special case, did not have a giant fatal flaw, but she was the only one of her kind to still exist, which was a fatal flaw due to the fact that sometimes she had no idea what she was doing or saying.

 

Vivi’s fatal flaw was that she could not cross into the Sins’ universe once the war between their universe and the mermaid’s universe began, for the sins had created a special barrier that basically said, ‘Royalty, stay out.’ She created a council because of this to try and find a way to diminish the war.

 

Vivi inhaled deeply. “It involves you crossing over to the Sins’ universe.”

 

Vivi’s words, as the Goddess had suspected, caused an uproar. Heejin stood and swiped her hat off the table before Jinsoul could trample it with her feet that were now upon the table. Jungeun shrieked after Jinsoul stepped on her hand, and her chair fell backward when she retracted her hand, causing her to crash to the floor. Haseul widened her eyes and expected Jinsoul to be furious, so she merely took a step back.

 

Jinsoul was notably the angriest out of the bunch. She crawled onto the table, which is why Jungeun’s hand had gotten trampled and Heejin’s hat had nearly did, too, and jumped down next to Vivi, her eyes shining with anger.

 

“You’re going to send Haseul to _their_ universe when they’re having a war with _my_ people?” shouted Jinsoul, followed by a huff of exasperation. “What if they force Haseul to fight with them? Against my people?”

 

Haseul sadly shook her head. “Jinsoul, I would never—”

 

Jinsoul glared, but the glare held no maliciousness toward her. “Haseul, I’m sorry, but _you_ — you’re a _human_! They can easily persuade you to join them! Vivi, you can’t possibly let this happen.”

 

Vivi frowned, for she understood Jinsoul, but she was not going to allow her plan to go to waste. “Please, hear me out.”

 

“Let me go instead. Let someone other than a human go.”

 

Haseul was not offended by the mermaid’s words, because she was not wrong. She knew that it was dangerous for a mortal to cross over into any universe, and to go to the universe that was the home to the Seven Deadly Sins was unthinkable.

 

Vivi folded her hands and waited for someone else to speak, knowing that someone would agree or disagree with Jinsoul’s statement.

 

Jungeun broke the silence after it began to become uncomfortable. She was still on the floor from the earlier incident. “I think that Jinsoul has a point, since all of us except for Haseul has met the main Sins, but we should let Vivi explain herself.”

 

“I appreciate it, Solver,” Vivi thanked, visibly smiling. “My plan was to dress the human up as one of the Sins and one of us help her cross to the universe. She would stay there and get information on how to end the war, and once the war ends, I could cross over and erase their sins, as we all want.”

 

Heejin tossed her hat into the air, waiting for it to land perfectly on her head, though it was a bit crooked, before she spoke. “I think that this plan is our last hope, but I can understand Jinsoul’s rage.”

 

“If I think that they’re luring Haseul into their trap,” informed Jinsoul, “I’m crossing over and bringing her back.”

 

Vivi stood and placed her flower crown on her head. “That is your call to make. I won’t stop you.”

 

Haseul blinked and fiddled with her fingers as the rest of the council began to file out of the room. Vivi turned around once she was at the doorframe and motioned for the human to follow her, in which she obliged.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jinsoul grabbed Jungeun’s hand once they were out of the building, preventing her from crossing over to her universe.

 

Jungeun turned her head toward Jinsoul and she, for the first time in awhile, saw the sadness that gleamed in her eyes. “Hey. What’s the matter?”

 

“Look,” Jinsoul explained quickly, “I know Vivi wouldn’t approve of this—”

 

“You wanna come to my universe with me,” Jungeun guessed, finally pulling her hand out of the other’s grasp.

 

Jinsoul remained silent, her gaze drifting down to the snowy ground.

 

“I may be a self-trained Solver,” laughed Jungeun bitterly, “but I don’t need my skills to know what’s on your mind.”

 

Jinsoul frowned at the ground and plopped down, grass tickling her hands as she shoved her hands into her pockets. “Look, if you don’t let me, don’t tell Vivi I even asked you.”

 

Jungeun waved her hand as if to silence her companion. “I can’t and won’t try to control what you do. You can cross over by yourself even if I said no.”

 

Jinsoul opened her mouth but said nothing, seemingly wanting to allow Jungeun to continue.

 

“So, I’m not giving you an answer, but may I ask why you want to come to my universe?” the Solver inquired, somewhat knowing the answer.

 

“You can’t tell anyone this information.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Jinsoul shook her head and grabbed Jungeun’s arm gently enough for the blonde to become overly concerned and sit down next to her form. “I trust you to not tell anyone this. I’m _serious_.”

 

Jungeun merely nodded.

 

“There’s this girl that comes to my universe occasionally,” began Jinsoul, “but I didn’t know who she was. She didn’t stop coming even when the war started. I told her how dangerous it was; coming to a universe that’s apart of a big war, but she didn’t listen. She kept coming, and eventually, she seemed smarter than you and Heejin combined. She seemed to know a lot about the war already despite acting like she had no knowledge prior to arriving at my universe.”

 

Jungeun, rather than being offended, jokingly clutched her heart, a small smile forming on her face. “Smarter than me?”

 

Jinsoul grinned and glanced away, continuing the story. “Yeah. Anyway, I started to tell her about the meetings. Our meetings. The council meetings.”

 

“Jinsoul…”

 

“No,” Jinsoul interrupted. “I told her a small piece of information first. She never told anyone, so I began to trust her entirely. It felt good telling someone about the meetings who had no idea of the council. Honestly, the meetings stress me out more than the war sometimes.”

 

“Jinsoul.”

 

Jinsoul ignored Jungeun. “I told her to tell me where she was from. It took awhile for her to tell me, but she finally told me she was from the Sins’ universe.”

 

“Jinsoul!”

 

“I was shocked, obviously, and I asked her if she was going to betray me. She seemed appalled by the idea, so I quickly apologized and explained that I was just anxious. We made a vow not to tell anyone that we were friends. To protect our friendship and our people.”

 

“ _Jung Jinsoul_!”

 

Jungeun propped her head up with her hand. “I know that she’ll ask me about my recent meeting, and I’ll seem suspicious if I don’t tell her. I can’t tell her that Vivi sent Haseul to their universe to get information. She won’t be happy. She might tell the main Sins. Haseul will be killed, maybe.”

 

“Mermaid!”

 

“If my people find out, they’ll try to capture Haseul for bargaining. Mermaids aren’t nice when it comes to serious issues. I care more about Haseul than I care about myself, honestly. I care about everyone in the council—”

“O, Jung Jinsoul, Sweet Mermaid Who Cannot Swim!”

 

Jinsoul’s words caught in her throat. “Yes, Jungeun?”

 

“You think I’m angry with you, hm? You think that I’ll tell Vivi about this, and you’ll be kicked out of the council?”

 

Jinsoul played with her fingers. “Well, kind of, but I trust you, so, no. I don’t think that.”

 

Jungeun sighed heavily; a deep inhale that lasted for a few moments. Then, she shoved her thumb and pointer finger together and drew them across her pursed lips as if they were a zipper. She flicked the invisible object in her fingers away with a lopsided grin.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Jungeun licked her lips nervously. “Do you happen to know this girl’s name, though?”

 

Jinsoul paused and pondered for a moment. “Come to think of it, no.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Vivi, not to rain on your parade, because you seem to be having fun conjuring up clothes, but what are you doing?”

 

Vivi stuck out her tongue slightly as she whirled Haseul around, fitting her in a black crop top. She nodded to herself and grabbed a jean jacket that had a flower pendant attached to it, fitting it around the human’s shoulders. “I’m making you seem like one of the Sins.”

 

Haseul blinked confusedly. “Hm?”

 

“You see,” sighed Vivi exasperatedly, “there’s the minor Sins. They have the same sins, but they’re less powerful. The main Sins usually seek out humans to place sins into, which is how their universe is so populated compared to yours. So, be careful, alright?”

 

“Uh, okay,” Haseul answered nervously, only now thinking about how populated her world was compared to others. “Yeah, I’ll be careful… What sin am I going to have?”

 

“Wrath. Turn around, I need to see if these pants are too tight,” Vivi hummed.

 

“Wrath?” squeaked Haseul, eyes widening as she looked at the Goddess. “You realize that I can hardly be mad at anyone, right?”

 

“You don’t have to be angry all of the time,” Vivi explained. Her hands stopped in midair as she reached down to tighten Haseul’s short jeans. “You see, wrath is anger, yes, but when one is angry, do they stay angry forever? Wrath is kind of the same way. Wrath prefers fury over any other emotion, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t have other feelings as well.”

 

“You’re basically saying I have to act angry most of the time, then.”

 

“No,” Vivi snapped, waving her hand, causing a white belt to appear in her hands. “Haseul, anything can make a Sin who has wrath angry, but not every Sin is the same. The main Sin who has wrath is the angriest, honestly, but I’ve seen minor Sins with wrath who act completely calm.”

 

Haseul frowned as a belt was poked through the holes on her jeans. “What’s your point?”

 

“Be yourself.”

 

“What if that gets me killed because they don’t think I’m angry enough?”

 

Vivi smacked her palm onto her forehead in a way that made Haseul nervous. Vivi then groaned, “Haseul, the main Sin that has sloth is angry sometimes. The Sin that has wrath can be lazy sometimes. The Sin that has lust can be envious sometimes. Are they dead?”

 

“I assume not.”

 

Vivi nodded in agreement and ran her eyes over Haseul’s body to make sure that she looked ‘believable’ enough to be a Sin, wringing her hands even though they were dry once satisfied.

 

“I’m going to tell Knowledge to come and take you over to the universe. She’s the smartest of us, and she’ll know what to do once over there.” Vivi turned and pulled out a device that was unknown to Haseul.

 

“Why don’t you use a phone?”

 

Vivi cocked an eyebrow. “Is that what humans do? Well, anyway, it’s dangerous to use a phone. They can be tracked easily, so we use this device. I created it. It’s only used among this council. I’ve never given you one because it’s slightly dangerous to humans. Other universes use different devices.”

 

“That’s comforting,” Haseul mumbled as a bright light flashed, Heejin appearing afterward. “That was quick.”

 

“Ah, I am quick,” Heejin commented, twirling her top hat on a single finger. “Do you need my hat to tell you the meaning of an object? Do you need math advice? Do you need me to pose as you and take your driver’s test?”

 

Haseul shook her head. “Uh, no, no, and I can drive, thank you. I need you to drop me off at the Sins’ universe and tell me what to do.”

 

Heejin glanced at Vivi, earning a nod in response. She placed her top hat atop her head once more before grabbing ahold of Haseul’s arm, a smile gracing her features. “The Sins’ universe is creepy, but if you follow my directions, you should be fine.”

 

Vivi placed a hand on Heejin’s shoulder and her other on Haseul’s before they could cross. “Be careful,” she commanded. “Both of you. When you cross over, if anything goes wrong, come back immediately. Human, if anything goes wrong,” she handed Haseul one of the communication devices, “use that to contact Knowledge, and she’ll bring you back. Just, don’t die, alright?”

 

Haseul gave a swift nod, as did Heejin. “Vivi,” inquired Haseul abruptly, “why don’t you use our actual names?”

 

Vivi grinned; a sad grin with no merriment. “Get information and end the war, okay?”

 

Heejin snapped her fingers, and a flash took place, drowning Haseul’s ‘I promise’ out.


	2. worry

“Someone’s at the door,” a tiny girl announced, laying on the couch with one eye open that was peering at the door. She definitely was not about to launch herself off the couch and toward the door to greet the visitor. 

 

Another girl in the home, a girl who was currently wearing a t-shirt with cat patterns printed on it, groaned and set down her bread on the dining table. “I’ll get it, since nobody else will.”

 

“Hyunjin,” a brunette called out, “why aren’t you taking your bread with you?”

 

Hyunjin scowled. “It would be rude to greet a visitor with food in hand. They could be hungry, or something.”

 

Nobody answered or objected as Hyunjin walked to the door and peeked out the little hole. She hummed to herself and mentally wondered how the person got past the guards at the front of the castle. “It’s a minor Sin, I believe. Wrath, maybe?”

 

The tiny girl finally sat up and placed her chin on the knees that were curled to her chest. “Well, shouldn’t we get Hyejoo?”

 

Hyunjin nodded and turned toward the stairs that lead to the second floor. “Hyejoo!”

 

After a second of silence, someone growled, “I’m taking a shower!”

 

“Oh, yeah. She told me that she was going to.” The girl on the couch sighed to herself and flopped back down. “Answer the door. I don’t think anything will happen if you greet them instead.”

 

Hyunjin shrugged and opened the door, startling the girl who was standing in front of her. The girl gasped and appeared shocked, but she immediately hid her emotions and scowled, even though it seemed forced.

 

“Before I ask what you’re doing here, what’s your sin?” Hyunjin blurted and placed a hand on her neck awkwardly. “Sorry. We don’t really interact with minor Sins that often.”

 

“It’s fine,” the girl responded nervously. “Uh, Wrath.”

 

“You can sit down,” the brunette from earlier offered with a smile. She was pretty, and her grin was like a welcome mat.

 

The girl blinked at her, but she eventually realized that she was serious and headed toward the couch, stopping when the tiny girl pouted at her.

 

“I-I can stand if you’re sleeping,” the girl stuttered, playing with her fingers.

 

The girl snickered and clambered to her feet before sticking out a hand. “I’m Sloth. Yeojin. Nice to meet you. Your name, please?”

 

“We don’t usually ask anyone’s name,” Hyunjin admitted. “We don’t usually get visits from minor Sins, either, though.”

“Haseul,” offered the girl, being forced to plop down on the couch when Yeojin practically shoved her there in excitement.

 

“Nice. Another Wrath.”

 

The girls whipped their heads toward the stairs, and a girl with black hair slid down the railing, the towel wrapped around her head nearly falling in the process. She was obviously named Hyejoo, as Hyunjin had called to her earlier, and she had finished her shower just in time.

 

“Hello,” Haseul greeted warmly, but her voice was a bit shaky.

 

Hyejoo placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. It was in a joking manner, but no smile was placed on her face. “You’re the nicest Wrath I’ve met.”

 

“You haven’t met more than two,” retorted Hyunjin, causing Hyejoo to swat at her. “I’m Gluttony. Hyunjin, please. The girl who just smacked me is Wrath, or Hyejoo.”

 

“I know,” Haseul murmured, earning looks from the girls. “I mean, I know your sins. Not your real names. Why are you telling me them?”

 

“We don’t see many others,” the brunette answered. “I’m Sooyoung.”

 

Haseul fixated her eyes on the beautiful woman. “Lust, I assume.”

 

Sooyoung winked and smirked, and even though she was close to speaking again, another girl hopped down the stairs. She was super energetic, but when she saw the newcomer, her smile turned to a deep frown.

 

“Did I do something?” Haseul inquired, nearly apologizing to the girl.

 

“No,” responded the girl. “Your hair is just really pretty.”

 

Haseul visibly blushed, and Sooyoung placed a hand on the girl’s head and ruffled her hair. “This is Jiwoo. I’ve no idea where Chaewon and Yerim are, but you can tell us why you’re here when they arrive.”

 

“Alright,” Haseul agreed.

 

Hyunjin resumed eating her meal once she assumed that Haseul was not hungry in any form, Sooyoung sat on the floor and chatted with Jiwoo, Yeojin sat down on a chair across from the couch, and Hyejoo placed the towel that was wrapped around her head in the dirty clothes pile, fully revealing her black hair. Haseul kept clearing her throat awkwardly, and even though she was debating whether or not to leave the place, a yelp from upstairs drew her out of her thoughts.

 

“That’s mine!” a girl yelled, and a crown tumbled down the stairs even before the girls dashed down them. Haseul jumped, for the two startled her, and she got to her feet and looked to Sooyoung, who was now standing with her arms crossed.

 

“We have a guest,” Sooyoung scolded, and the blonde of the pair plucked the crown off the floor.

 

“Yerim’s stealing again.”

 

Yerim, assumably, stuck her tongue out at the girl. “You’re too prideful. I was only borrowing, anyway!”

 

Sooyoung rolled her eyes and told Haseul that she could sit down again, and that got the attention of the two girls that had practically toppled down the stairs. They seemed shocked to see someone sitting in their living room, but Yerim smiled and nodded to her.

 

“Sorry about that!” she squeaked as Haseul resumed sitting.“Didn’t really expect to see anyone sitting there.”

 

“Yes, well,” the blonde huffed, “I’m Chaewon, the rightful owner of this crown. You?”

 

“Haseul. Uh—”

 

Yeojin clasped her hands together and leaned forward, which Haseul found a bit odd. Nonetheless, the young Sin mumbled, “Well, Haseul, what’re you doing here, then? The gang’s all here.”

 

The girls gathered around Haseul nonchalantly and waited for her to speak, but when she did not, Hyejoo piped up.

 

“We’re waiting. Not to sound, uh, rude, but we’re still wondering how you got past the guards.”

 

The others silently agreed, but the room was silent until Haseul began to explain. “Sorry. Okay, so…, I went to the Mermaids’ universe.”

 

Jiwoo gasped, dramatically placing her hands over her mouth a bit too comically. “How…? Only certain people can cross universes.”

 

“A Goddess gave me the power. I agreed to help her, but I betrayed her. I went to the Mermaids’ universe to get information. They’re planning an attack soon, and I wanted to let you know.”

 

Hyejoo’s expression instantly darkened, and she shook her head. “They haven’t launched an attack in months. Why now?”

 

Hyunjin pursed her lips. “Maybe they thought we were off our game. Either way, we’ll have to fight back.”

 

“What if that’s not the answer?” suggested Haseul, and the others stared at her as if saying that she had no place to speak on the matter. If they thought that, they allowed her to continue, anyway. “We could speak with them civilly.”

 

“We’ve tried,” Chaewon said. “They said that we started this, so we should just fight.”

 

Haseul planted a lip on her finger. “Well, what if I tried?”

 

Yerim shook her head. “They wouldn’t listen to you. They expect us to speak with them, if needed. Nobody else.”

 

“Don’t you want to end the war?”

 

Yeojin’s lip trembled, and none of the girls except Haseul noticed the movement. “I do,” she revealed. “How, though? We wronged them.”

 

Haseul’s eyes brightened, and she was internally glad that the girls did not comment on it, if they saw. “How?”

 

Sooyoung abruptly shot her a glare. “Don’t you know?”

 

“I-I’ve been in other universes a lot,” stammered Haseul, attempting to defend her question.

 

Hyunjin took the conversation into her own hands. “Lay off a bit. She’s clearly trying to help.”

 

Haseul hummed gratefully, and Sooyoung mumbled a simple apology before slouching.

 

“When we fully gained control over our Sins, we tried crossing to other universes. We succeeded, but the Mermaids didn’t seem pleased and told us to leave. When we didn’t, they sent people to force us out, so we erased some of their greatest bodies of water. One of the bodies was really magical, and some lost their powers, including the leader. They chose a new leader and started a war against us, and we’ve fought back ever since.”

 

Haseul considered this, and the room fell silent for awhile. The only noise was anxious breathing and the sound of the air conditioner kicking on, and the girls were alarmed when Haseul finally broke the silence.

 

“Can’t you replace the waters? Or, even better, restore them? If you’ve tried, maybe I could go to their universe in disguise and speak to them—”

 

Hyejoo’s hand shot into the air, and she aimed it at the guest’s face, an unreadable look plastered on hers. The others did not question her decision, but they were prepared to stop her if the situation became violent.

 

“You seem too calm to be Wrath,” she hissed. “Why are you so willing to help us? All we’ve done is cause harm to come to our people, even if they aren’t the ones fighting. The Mermaids have no mercy. You should recognize this.”

 

Haseul’s calm demeanor vanished, and she began to sweat. “I’m trying to help. I swear it. Traveling to other universes has taken its toll, and I’m not as angry as I used to be.”

 

Jiwoo beamed and slapped a hand onto Hyejoo’s shoulder, causing her to lower her hand and scowl. “Geez, Hyejoo, you’re making the poor girl sweat. She’s obviously trying to help us.”

 

Yerim sighed and stood, hands on her hips. “It’s getting late. Let’s just go to bed and figure this out in the morning.”

 

Chaewon helped Haseul off the carpet and pointed at the stairs. The girl looked confused, but the blonde swiftly explained. “We’re not just letting you go. You can sleep in our spare bedroom, okay?”

 

Haseul did not reply, for Chaewon zoomed away after the words were uttered. She started up the steps. They creaked beneath her, and even though she was close to freaking out, she found the bedroom with no trouble and turned the doorknob.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jinsoul strolled down the grocery store’s aisles, searching for ingredients to bake a cake. Most of them were in the cart that she was wheeling around, but she required one more item. She had already passed by the sugar minutes earlier, but with many things on her mind, she had not realized.

 

“It’s quiet,” Jungeun commented. She was not helping Jinsoul with her shopping, for she kept peeking out the corner of her eye, catching her companion’s people glancing at her cautiously.

 

Jinsoul stifled a scoff. “They don’t take kindly to universes merging.”

 

“I’m just a small Solver,” Jungeun countered. She had defended herself as a joke, but the Mermaid was not impressed by it.

 

“You wanted to come here.”

 

Jungeun sighed and followed Jinsoul through the aisles, only speaking again when the latter became annoyed with the cake’s ingredients. “We passed the sugar ages ago.”

 

Jinsoul pushed Jungeun, and the Solver nearly knocked a mountain of canned goods over, but she balanced herself. She was close to yelling at her friend, but Jinsoul was grinning from ear to ear. She turned the cart around.

 

“Should’ve told me earlier.”

 

Jungeun smirked. “Didn’t wanna ruin your fun.”

 

Jinsoul grabbed the package of sugar and threw it into the cart, twirling her cart around and heading for the checkout afterward. Before she could reach the area, Jungeun stood in front of the cart with her hands on her hips.

 

“Soul,” she challenged, “do you even know how to bake a cake?”

 

Jinsoul pouted, and Jungeun took the pout as a hard no.

 

“I need to bake this for my mother’s birthday.” She continued toward the checkout and started placing the items on the belt. “It’s gonna be delicious, I promise. It’ll have blue icing. That’s her favorite color, you know, and mine. A lot of us like blue.”

 

Jinsoul droned even as the woman told her that the total was going to be a little over twenty dollars. Jungeun, of course, found it endearing when her friend blabbered; she spoke highly of her universe and her family to the point where the Solver felt as if she could meet her parents without trouble. However, there would be trouble, so Jungeun kept her distance even though the Mermaid constantly piqued her interest with every word that exited her mouth.

 

“Can you count this money for me?” Jinsoul requested and handed Jungeun a wad of money. The paper was blue and had a fish tail on most.

 

Jungeun counted it down to the last cent easily. She handed the cashier the exact amount, and the cashier accepted it uneasily, which did not go unnoticed.

 

“Thanks.” Jinsoul was quite obviously saying this to Jungeun, but the cashier hummed in response and shoved the money into the drawer.

 

Jungeun took one of the two bags of ingredients and followed Jinsoul out of the grocery store after handing her the remaining cash. They were walking down a path that was only wide enough for two people to walk on side-by-side, as water was on both sides of the concrete. The universe mostly consisted of oceans, which did not shock Jungeun, since it was meant for Mermaids, but she did feel out of place.

 

“I always use the paths,” Jinsoul said. “My family has tried to get me to swim. I sink.”

 

“Isn’t your tail supposed to do the work?”

 

Jinsoul chuckled. “Yeah. That’s the thing; it’s probably broken.”

 

Jungeun nearly fell off the path as a green ball bounced in front of the pair and smacked against her feet. A little boy retrieved the ball after mumbling an apology that was more directed toward Jinsoul and kicked the ball to his friend using his tail.

 

Jungeun frowned after turning her attention back to Jinsoul. “Broken?”

 

“Yeah. Doctors noticed it after I kept sinking. There’s something wrong with it, I guess. They couldn’t figure out what, so they just settled for broken.”

 

“I never knew this.” Jungeun swung the bag back and forth gently. “Do the others?”

 

“Nope.” Jinsoul popped the ‘p.’ “They just know I can’t swim. Vivi could probably fix my tail, but I don’t wanna seem weak to her. I don’t want her to regret choosing me.”

 

“We all have flaws,” Jungeun pointed out. “It’s not your fault, anyway. Vivi can’t even go back now.”

 

They approached an area where the ocean no longer extended to, and the water was replaced with buildings sitting atop grass. There were a few businesses and regular houses, and Jinsoul informed Jungeun that her home was up ahead.

 

“My home is different from the others. Everyone’s houses are filled with water.”

 

Jungeun did not question how that was possible without having the water spill out each time someone opened a door or window. “My house isn’t. It’s not different for me.”

 

Jinsoul smiled, cheered up by the blonde’s words. Jungeun knew that she had done something correct, since the Mermaid was smiling for the rest of the journey to her ‘different from the others’ house.

 

“You probably won’t be able to see my mother after we bake this cake.”

 

Jungeun shrugged emotionlessly. “I get it. Your people don’t take kindly to other universes.”

 

“It’s not only that. My mother thinks Solvers are just Knowledge wannabes, since Heejin is the only left.”

 

“That’s fine.” Jungeun was indeed hurt by the fact, but she knew that Jinsoul had nothing to do with her mother’s beliefs. “Heejin is better than me, though. Solvers arose because Heejin’s people disappeared from existence, so I guess your mother may not be far off.”

 

“Still hurtful.” Jinsoul stuck her key into her front door’s lock, and the wind blew the door open. Jungeun entered the house.

 

Everything was blue except for the furniture that could not possibly be painted or dyed blue. It was a minimalistic home with only the necessities, since Jinsoul was barely home. A fish tank was placed upon a table in the living room, and Jungeun smiled at the fish and stared into the glass.

 

“You have a fish,” Jungeun stated, even though it was meant to be a question.

 

“Her name’s Jungeun,” Jinsoul hummed distractedly as she unpacked the groceries.

 

Jungeun figured that Jinsoul did not mean to reveal that information to her, so she silenced herself and continued twinkling at the fish.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Heejin shuffled around the box of old, worn notebooks, tossing some to the side for later use. She pushed the box away when she was finished and gathered the notebooks in her arms, letting them fall onto a table.

 

“These are the same?” Vivi questioned.

 

“No.” Heejin opened one of the notebooks. “Not every universe has one. They’re kind of special edition, I guess. It’s like a messenger between two people, and the messages don’t disappear.”

 

“Aren’t they just a messenger, then?”

 

“They used to be used among leaders of universes for special purposes. That way, nobody unwanted could read whatever was said.”

 

Something in Vivi’s mind clicked. “Traveling universes was unpopular when these were used.”

 

Heejin smiled at Vivi’s discovery and began to flip through all the books’ content. “Nobody uses them anymore, but I thought it’d be fine if we looked for information.”

 

“We probably won’t find much,” Vivi said. “It’s not like the Sins and Mermaids communicated with these.”

 

“Maybe—”

 

The communication device in Vivi’s pocket began to sing its familiar tune and flash colors. She yanked it out and tapped a button, expecting a call but merely receiving a message.

 

“They’re making her stay,” Vivi said with a monotone voice.

 

Heejin gaped and watched as Vivi texted a simple message back. “That’s too close to disaster for comfort. I was supposed to bring her back for tonight.”

 

“If anything happens, I’m sure she’s smart enough to attempt an escape,” Vivi reassured. “She can cross universes, even if she’s not the best at it. If she loses a body part, I’ll reattach it.”

 

Heejin pursed her lips. “You’re a joke sometimes.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“If I’m not bringing her back tonight, we can continue looking.”

 

Heejin resumed examining the notebooks, furrowing her eyebrows. Vivi followed in her footsteps, worry wrapping her around its finger.


End file.
